Words, images by Shaheen Shah and Video by Saqib Shah

An 8-year-old social worker and Pakistan’s youngest journalist, Muhammad Hasnain is well known in Pakistan and across the borders owing to his voice and style for interacting with his audience. 

Muhammad is a motivational speaker with a life’s mission to educate the street children who are deprived from education, He wants to change the mindset of the people who are losing hope by setting example through his work and considers himself the follower of Allama Iqbal, the philosophical poet and writer of South Asia. 

Muhammad has so far worked in six local newspapers, three national radio channels and he is currently enrolled in Year 4 at school. 

He has said that he became multi-talented because first he is God-gifted and that eating almonds from an early age has helped him to develop a keen memory (as it is believed in his region that eating almonds helps to enhance memory)   

The young radio presenter thinks that smartness and intelligence come with experience and for that, one must be prepared to step forward in learning new things. 

Talking to DIFFDAFF, Muhammad explained how he started his career in 2018 with different media channels and he also shared the list of projects he is working on and his learning from them. 

Muhammad says, ‘’Journalists speak truth with responsibility which is the main aim of journalism. I try something which I observe, and feel should be shown to the public in the same way. Since my childhood I try to go to various places, explore new things and I am always keen of telling others what I observe” 

He added that I write columns for different newspapers. Mostly I focus on social issues, education, child labour and issues related to gender disparities which need to be addressed. 

Muhammad says that he motivates the street children to go to schools and educate them in responsible citizenship.  

He wakes up early at 6:00 am and goes to school. On return from school, he joins the academy for his studies and later works in Radio channels for few hours.  

Muhammad has made his schedule busy as after his work he works on memorization of Quran, the Holy book of Muslims. 

Muhammad besides studying in school manages to read books related to Islamic History.   

Above all Hasnain teaches street children in his free time in a set-up which he has made in an open space near his house.  

Many children have been inspired from Muhammad Hasnain. 

Muhammad did his first Radio show in 2018 which is known as Super Kid. He has been working as News Reporter with Awaz_e_Subha and Kasooti, the two local News Agencies.  

He received more than 30 Awards on Local and National platforms for his reporting and presentations. 

Muhammad has done presentations on 1500 topics nationally and internationally. 

He spends his earning on street children, and he buy toys and uniforms for these children. 

Every year on 14th of August, the Independence Day of Pakistan he arranges blood donation camp for the patients of Thalassemia.  

On weekends, he teaches English classes to the children of the streets. 

Muhammad can speak five languages at the age of 8. 

Shaheen Shah is a Pakistan-based Journalist with Masters Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from University of Peshawar, Pakistan. He has worked with TNN (Tribal News Network), Radio Pakistan, Awaz-e-subah,Bara News in the Tribal Districts of Pakistan and with various other Media Outlets in Pakistan.